Chi Qingya listened to what her sisters said, and her heart felt a little lighter.
It turned out she wasn’t such a terrible person after all, or rather, she hadn’t made any grave mistakes.
The one at fault wasn’t her…
She had indeed made mistakes, but they weren’t as serious as Bai Huizi claimed.
【No Cilantro (Graduate Exam Version): Qingya, don’t take it to heart. You’re so kind and beautiful, even if you move somewhere else, there will be plenty of landlords willing to have you.】
【Strawberry Milkshake (Diet Edition): Our Yaya Baby is so clean. Every time we have a Sisterhood gathering, she tidies up all the trash meticulously. Other landlords will definitely like her.】
【Little Bear Gummy: Yeah, Yaya Baby is also very helpful. Whenever she visits the dorm, she helps clean up and even takes away the trash. If there’s anyone at fault, it’s not Qingya, it’s that landlord!】
Hearing her sisters’ praise and support, Chi Qingya finally relaxed a bit.
She wasn’t really that bad!
The recent string of problems had made her start doubting herself.
Thanks to her Sisterhood, she realized the truth.
Truly, it’s the Fog of the Participant and the Prophecy of the Onlooker.
Before, when others bullied her, she was the one who always blamed herself, even when deep down she knew she wasn’t wrong.
But after hearing them enough times, she began to doubt whether the person with the problem was actually herself.
So close… so close to falling back into that vicious cycle of self-doubt.
Chi Qingya patted her chest, then slowly stood up against the wall, her eyes growing firmer.
She took a deep breath, looking down at her clothes that were soaked through, deciding to change into something clean first.
The bathroom was clogged now, so washing up wasn’t an option.
Having gone through this before when calling for cleaning help, doing it again would be familiar territory.
Besides, fixing the blocked drain would make it more comfortable to use in the future.
There had been no issues before, and after Su Li left, so many problems appeared— it wasn’t necessarily all her fault.
Maybe it was because Su Li lived here that whole time, and their shared living caused the drain to clog. The problem simply hadn’t surfaced until now.
It wasn’t entirely her fault!
After changing into clean clothes, Chi Qingya felt much better inside.
She immediately used her cell phone to book a repairman and patiently waited.
Her phone vibrated again.
She felt her heart jump slightly, but not as strongly as before.
Even if Su Li came looking for her now, she believed she could face her calmly.
When she needed Su Li most, Su Li wasn’t there.
Now that the problem was fixed, what use was it for Su Li to appear?
【Little Bear Gummy: Qingya, you won’t believe it. I saw Su Li secretly texting someone during class, and after class, she left school right away. Don’t know if she’s meeting someone else.】
Reading her sister’s message, Chi Qingya grew alert.
She didn’t think Su Li could meet anyone good besides herself.
Even if she did, it was probably someone with ulterior motives.
Remembering how the landlord suddenly came knocking to cause trouble today, a thought suddenly appeared in her mind.
Could it be that the landlord was Su Li’s new sugar daddy?
After all, she didn’t believe Su Li could connect with any high-level people.
Homeless and desperate, seeking help from the landlord was perfectly normal.
Maybe Su Li was just a little difficult but still a normal person.
The landlord came to see her today with an inexplicable hostility and heavy tension, making Chi Qingya suspect a connection between Su Li and the landlord.
And the landlord was here this time specifically to take it out on Su Li.
Otherwise, why would she bring up that matter when Su Li left?
The more she thought about it, the angrier Chi Qingya felt.
She had been so good to Su Li.
Yet Su Li repeatedly let her down. She even bought her lemon water, waited so patiently.
She even took the initiative to add Su Li as a friend, but Su Li never replied.
When she was at her most helpless and miserable, Su Li didn’t stand by her. Instead, she degraded herself under someone else’s control.
Chi Qingya’s nose tingled, a strange feeling of grievance rising like a thousand ants burrowing along the ribs, nibbling the soft flesh around her heart.
Her breathing became short and sharp, like a broken bellows with shards of glass stuck inside—each breath scraping painfully down her throat.
Su Li had given up her dignity just to find a place to live and was slowly sinking deeper and deeper.
It wasn’t as if she hadn’t offered her a place— just a simple apology was all she asked for. Was that so hard?
After Su Li left the classroom, she headed home.
She didn’t pay much attention to the fact that Chi Qingya’s sisters sat beside her today.
There were no other seats in the classroom, and besides, it wasn’t her space alone.
But when her sisters tried to talk to her, Su Li barely acknowledged them.
In her eyes, Chi Qingya’s sisters didn’t look like clients who could pay her.
They seemed more like people who drained her emotionally for free.
As for Chi Qingya missing class because she was sick, Su Li thought that was perfectly normal.
Living in such a dirty and chaotic environment, it was strange if she wasn’t sick.
Plus, Chi Qingya had no habit of airing out her room.
Taking the bus, Su Li soon arrived downstairs.
This time, Bai Huizi wasn’t waiting for her in the hallway like before.
With the house key in hand, Su Li found Bai Huizi waiting for her inside.
“Welcome home~”
The moment Su Li opened the door, a voice laced with lazy seduction came from the room.
Steam from the bathroom blurred the glass into a hazy mist. The floor lamp scattered warm golden light, softening Bai Huizi’s damp hair.
Her loosely tied silk robe slipped half an inch as she leaned back, droplets collecting in the hollow of her collarbone.
Her bent left leg sank into the eiderdown cushion, the tip of her toes flushed from the steam. Her right hand rested casually on the sofa armrest, the curve of her wrist glowing like porcelain in the lamplight.
Crystal-clear water droplets trailed down the curve of her neck, disappearing into the shadowed depths. The silk fabric darkened where the moisture soaked through.
Su Li’s gaze landed on Bai Huizi reclining on the sofa, noticing her look back with a teasing lick of her lips.